Shloka 9
भरतकुलभूषण! शत्रुकी जगमगाती हुई राजलक्ष्मीको अपने अधिकारमें करनेकी इच्छावाला भूपाल सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंका उसी प्रकार संचालन करे, जैसे सारथि चाबुकसे घोड़ोंको हाँककर अपनी रुचिके अनुसार चलाता है ।।
bharatakula-bhūṣaṇa! śatrukī jagmagātī huī rāja-lakṣmī ko apne adhikāra meṃ karne kī icchā-vālā bhūpāla sampūrṇa diśāoṃ kā usī prakāra sañcālana kare, jaise sārathi cābuka se ghoṛoṃ ko hāṃkakara apnī ruci ke anusāra calātā hai. pracchanno vā prakāśo vā yogo yo 'riṃ prabādhate; tad vai śastraṃ śastra-vidāṃ, na śastra-cchedanaṃ smṛtam—gupta yā prakaṭ, jo upāya śatru ko saṅkaṭ meṃ ḍāl de, vahī śastra-jña puruṣoṃ kā śastra hai; kevala kāṭane-vālā śastra hī śastra nahīṃ hai.
杜尤陀那说道：“噢，婆罗多族的光饰！凡欲将敌人那耀目夺目的王者之福纳入己手的君王，当统御四方，如御者执鞭驱马，使之随己意而行。无论隐蔽或公开，凡能以计谋迫使敌人陷入困厄者——在真正通晓兵器之人眼中，唯此方称‘武器’。武器并非仅指能斩切之物；一切或秘或显、足以制伏敌人的手段，都当算作武器。”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse expands the idea of ‘weapon’ beyond physical arms: any method—covert or overt—that effectively brings an enemy into distress counts as a weapon in the logic of political-military expertise. It frames kingship as active control and management of power, emphasizing efficacy over the narrow form of violence.
Duryodhana is articulating a hard-edged doctrine of rule and conquest within the Sabha Parva context, urging that a king seeking supremacy should govern and maneuver like a charioteer controlling horses, and should treat stratagems and policies as weapons just as much as swords or arrows.